For the second straight night, the Nationals fell to the division rival New York Mets by just one run thanks to mistakes made late in the game by their bullpen. This time it was Mets first baseman Lucas Duda who had the big swing and Nats reliever Matt Thornton who gave up the decisive score.
The Nationals now lead by just one game in the NL East and that advantage could disappear on Sunday when the Mets will aim for the series sweep. Jordan Zimmermann (8-6, 3.36) and Noah Syndergaard (5-5, 2.70) will be the starters in what is about as big a game as you will see in early August.